The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-09-17
PRESCRIPTION CLERKS WORK.
Careful Druggists and Others Who Saw
Doctors from HluUders

errors made by those who compound
| drugs.
"Yes," said he, "a druggist who
makes a blunder that costs life may rs
| well go ont of business or move away to
| escape his reputation. But, let me tell
you, such bluuders are few in proportion
| to the opportunities for making them.
| Take my own experience, for instance.
| made one year an average of the mum
Der of prescriptions put mp daily during
| that time. | found had averaged forty
odd per day-call it forty. Now that
| foots up about A. 900 for the year. a
thoroughly competent prescription clerk
is able to average five prescriptions each
hour. OF course some prescriptions re-
put up very quickly, so that, if man
has them to do, he can average, as say,
five per hour.
"Well now, there are over 800 stores
in New York city employing two pre-
scription clerks each. That makes 200
clerks, and If each averages, say forty
prescriptions per day Or II, 600 in year,
the total will be 1000 times that, or
about II, 600, 900 prescriptions put up in
this city every year. The total is more
than that at the daily average | named,
but let It stand for round numbers. Yes,
the amount is large, but then multiply
that by 20, 600 to cover New York state,
chances to kill somebody, there are fewer
fatal blunders by druggists than are
made by the same number of men in any
other vocation.
But prescription clerk must not
only guard himself against blunders liable
to be made by himself, as he is frequently
called upon to save ply scians from fatal
or disagreeable errors. How? Why, a
clerk on reading prescription may find
that ingredients are disprop0rtioned s.
that if the written order was obcyed
somebody would soon be a subject fol
burial. For instance clerk may get a
prescription for pills with poisonous in
gradients. The physician has written
the proper relative quantities of the
drugs, but has in haste or heedleSsness
neglected to order how many pills tC
make of the compounded mass. He has
neglected to write in his prescription
whether the compound is to be made
into one mighty pill or into fifty little
ones. One of the latter might effect &
cure, whereas the entire mass, IF droppeC
down an unsuspecting throat, would be
about the last the patient would ever
swallow.
what do we do in such case? That
depends upon who the physician is anc
what the customer may be. If the doc
tor be one whom we know we may right
the error, if we are certain as to what
should be done. That is, we my put
up prescriptions daily for ply sician
and so become acquainted with his met
hods and treatments. But, if we do not
know the doctor, and if the customer il
an educated person, we say to the Gus
intended differently than he has writer
here, and we think you had best go bach
to him and say that your druggist de
sires him to see the prescription agair
before it is put up.
An educated person will at once under
stand that physician, under stress OF
professional anxieties, may have made
some little slip, and the doctor does no
suffer. But if the customer be an ignor
ant person the action to be taken differs
We desire not to injure the physician
but if we were to say to an ignorant auC
uneducated customer that his doctor haC
made such blunder in his prescription
that we could not put it up, why tn,
customer would never forgive the medl
cal man, but would out upon him as
I'd say to that uneducated customer
Now, sir, one of the ingredients in thi
prescription is very difficult to get, an,
it will require some time-come back il
three hours, and it will be ready for you
Then we send the prescription at once t
the doctor, who sees the error, correct
it, and puts us IN shape to go ahead. Blu
do you suppose the doctor likes it? Why
| have saved doctors from serious conse
quenceS before now, and had them fl
into passion at what they called imper
timent meddling, and advise their pa
tients to shun us as incompetents. Blu
Ihave observed that the suggested chang
is made or the omission is supplied be
fore the medicine is prepared. Othe
physicians, however appreciate the ser
vice rendered them"
Then the experienced prescription cle:l
was asked if the FASTING of one label owe
another was approved by the pharma
ceutical code of ethics, whereupon tn,
f. p. &. grew warm.
"a druggist who does that SAID he
sis absolutely lazy. The recognized RICH
way is always to soak off old labels-re
move them entirely and neatly. | hav,
in times of great haste scratched off
label with my knife. That was slovenly
but it was at least right and safe. No
all druggists do not do it, but they should
| know they do not, because l have my
self soaked six labels from bottl,